Shane & Brown Win Bayfair Prelims
J. Michael Kelly and Jimmy Shane racing in Heat 1B. Photo by Chris Denslow – H1
The first attempt to run Heat 1A at San Diego’s Bayfair on Saturday afternoon lasted only a quarter of a lap.
Jon Zimmerman secured lane one in the battle for the inside and led the field into turn one. But at the apex of the turn, the rudder bracket on Zimmerman’s 9 RedDOT/Les Schwab Tires failed, causing the boat to spin violently and forcing stoppage of the heat. Damage to the boat put Zimmerman on the beach for the rest of the weekend.
When the heat was rerun, Kip Brown took the inside and took control in the 96 Spirit of Qatar. The second fastest qualifier had Cal Phipps on his hip for the first lap in the 7 Graham Trucking but pulled away to take the win with Phipps second. Third place went to Scott Liddycoat in his first heat as driver of Schumacher Racing’s 21 Miss Beacon Plumbing. Dave Warren was fourth in the 100 Tony Roma’s.
Brown’s said, “We made a fairly easy start, didn’t want to get over the line too soon. But by the time we left turn one we were clear of the field and just went for a boat ride.
Brown added, “We continue to get better and it’s a great boat. We still have room for improvement but its coming along and we’ll get there. I ove driving this boat!”
Heat 1B gave an early indication of the importance of the inside lane on the 2.5 mile Bill Muncey race course. Jimmy Shane won the fight for the inside in the 6 Oberto, forcing J. Michael Kelly in the 1 Graham Trucking out to lane two.
With the fastest qualifier on the inside, the outcome appeared to be a foregone conclusion but Kelly Kelly stayed within striking distance for the first two laps of the three lap prelim.
Shane took the win and increased his lead in Series High Points over Kelly who finished second. Tom Thompson was third in the gbr11 Peters and May with Mike Webster running third in the 22 Big 5 Sporting Goods.
Shane commented, “He (Kelly) always runs hard and he knows we will too. It seems to be a great race every time we hook up. We gained points in qualifying and won our Saturday heat which is as good as you can start the weekend. We’ll come back tomorrow and pick up where we left off….and try to keep increasing the high point lead.”
Racing will resume on Sunday with Heat 2a set to go at 12:20 pm PDT and the Championship Final Heat scheduled for 3:30 pm.
Shane & Brown Win Bayfair Prelims
J. Michael Kelly and Jimmy Shane racing in Heat 1B. Photo by Chris Denslow – H1
The first attempt to run Heat 1A at San Diego’s Bayfair on Saturday afternoon lasted only a quarter of a lap.
Jon Zimmerman secured lane one in the battle for the inside and led the field into turn one. But at the apex of the turn, the rudder bracket on Zimmerman’s 9 RedDOT/Les Schwab Tires failed, causing the boat to spin violently and forcing stoppage of the heat. Damage to the boat put Zimmerman on the beach for the rest of the weekend.
When the heat was rerun, Kip Brown took the inside and took control in the 96 Spirit of Qatar. The second fastest qualifier had Cal Phipps on his hip for the first lap in the 7 Graham Trucking but pulled away to take the win with Phipps second. Third place went to Scott Liddycoat in his first heat as driver of Schumacher Racing’s 21 Miss Beacon Plumbing. Dave Warren was fourth in the 100 Tony Roma’s.
Brown’s said, “We made a fairly easy start, didn’t want to get over the line too soon. But by the time we left turn one we were clear of the field and just went for a boat ride.
Brown added, “We continue to get better and it’s a great boat. We still have room for improvement but its coming along and we’ll get there. I ove driving this boat!”
Heat 1B gave an early indication of the importance of the inside lane on the 2.5 mile Bill Muncey race course. Jimmy Shane won the fight for the inside in the 6 Oberto, forcing J. Michael Kelly in the 1 Graham Trucking out to lane two.
With the fastest qualifier on the inside, the outcome appeared to be a foregone conclusion but Kelly Kelly stayed within striking distance for the first two laps of the three lap prelim.
Shane took the win and increased his lead in Series High Points over Kelly who finished second. Tom Thompson was third in the gbr11 Peters and May with Mike Webster running third in the 22 Big 5 Sporting Goods.
Shane commented, “He (Kelly) always runs hard and he knows we will too. It seems to be a great race every time we hook up. We gained points in qualifying and won our Saturday heat which is as good as you can start the weekend. We’ll come back tomorrow and pick up where we left off….and try to keep increasing the high point lead.”
Racing will resume on Sunday with Heat 2a set to go at 12:20 pm PDT and the Championship Final Heat scheduled for 3:30 pm.